The Lombards (Theodelinda)
The Lombards led by Theodelinda a custom civilization by TarcisioCM, with contributions from Janboruta, Bernie14 and Danrell. This mod requires Brave New World. Overview 'Kingdom of the Lombards' The Lombards or Langobards were a Germanic tribe who ruled Italy from 568 to 774. The Lombards descended from a small tribe called the Winnili, who dwelt in southern Scandinavia before migrating to seek new lands. By the end of the 5th century they had moved into the area roughly coinciding with modern Austria north of the Danube river. The Lombard king Audoin defeated the Gepid leader Thurisind in 551 or 552; his successor Alboin eventually destroyed the Gepids at the Battle of Asfeld in 567. Following this victory, Alboin decided to lead his people to Italy, which had become severely depopulated and devastated after the long Gothic War (535–554) between the Byzantine Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom there. The Lombards were joined by numerous Saxons, Heruls, Gepids, Bulgars, Thuringians, and Ostrogoths, and their invasion of Italy was almost unopposed. By late 569 they had conquered all the principal cities north of the Po River except Pavia, which fell in 572. At the same time, they occupied areas in central and southern Italy. They established a Lombard Kingdom in Italy, later named Regnum Italicum ("Kingdom of Italy"), which reached its zenith under the 8th-century ruler Liutprand. In 774, the Kingdom was conquered by the Frankish King Charlemagne and integrated into his Empire. However, Lombard nobles continued to rule parts of the Italian peninsula well into the 11th century when they were conquered by the Normans and added to their County of Sicily. Their legacy is apparent in the regional name, Lombardy. Theodelinda Theodelinda, queen of the Lombards, (c. 570-628) was the daughter of duke Garibald I of Bavaria. She was married first in 589 to Authari, king of the Lombards, son of king Cleph. Authari died in 590. Theodelinda was allowed to pick Agilulf as her next husband and Authari's successor in 591. She thereafter exerted much influence in restoring Nicene Christianity (the mainstream, later split in 1054 by the East-West Schism in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy) to a position of primacy in Italy against its rival, Arian Christianity. After the conversion of Agilulf to the Catholic faith, she started building churches in Lombardy and Tuscany, among them the cathedral of Monza and the first Baptistery of Florence. They were all dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The famous treasure of Monza contains the Iron Crown of Lombardy and the theca persica, enclosing a text from the Gospel of John, sent by Pope Gregory I (590-604) to her for her son Adaloald. Another of the gifts of this pope to the Lombard queen was a cruciform encolpion (reliquary) containing a portion of the True Cross. 'Dawn of Man' "All hail to thee, devout and blessed Theodelinda, queen of the Lombards! Through your religious efforts, the Lombards at last converted to Catholicism, and as a close supporter of Pope Gregory I, you worked to mend the schism of the three chapters between the north Italian churches. As queen of the Lombards you held enormous power over the Italian kingdom, being allowed to choose your next king after the death of your previous husband, and then ruling alone after his own demise. Exalted queen, the Lombards have convened and elected you to rule over them once again. But can you restore the balance between the powerful forces that keep this kingdom together? Can you build a civilization that will stand the test of time?" Introduction: "I am Theodelinda, faithful queen of the Lombards. I pray you are a believer, not a heathen like those other fools." Defeat: "Know that you will get what is coming to you, in this life or after." Unique Attributes Strategy Mod Support Full Credits List *''Tar'': Design, LS, Map *''Janboruta'': Leader Icon, UU Icon, Civ Icon *''Danrell'': UU Model *''Bernie14'': UU Model *''Sam Hulick'': Music Category:Southern Cultures Category:Italy Category:TarcisioCM Category:Civilizations with Female leaders Category:All Civilizations